3/14/2025
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R takes to the track this weekend for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. You might be surprised by how much the Corvette race car shares with the version on sale in dealerships.
The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is not just a race car that resembles the road-going Corvette Z06. As Corvette Racing program manager Jessica Dane explains, the GT3.R quite literally comes from the same factory as the road-going Corvette Z06, and uses virtually the same engine.
“The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is GM Motorsports’ best example of tech transfer between motorsports and GM’s production cars,” Dane tells GM News. “The road-car chassis rolls off the assembly line from our plant in Bowling Green and gets sent to our constructor partner Pratt Miller Engineering to be turned into a race car. The powertrain is done in-house by our Global Propulsion Systems team, and roughly 80% of the engine is the same as on the road car.”
Sports car racing, with endurance events like the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, helps GM engineers test vehicles in the most extreme conditions. These endurance races reward performance, longevity, and reliability. The Corvette Z06 platform and the 5.5-liter LT6 V8 engine were both developed using knowledge gleaned from years of Corvette competition.
In addition to helping engineers and designers develop cutting-edge vehicles, these races also serve as a way for Chevrolet to connect with current and future Corvette owners, Dane said.
“If you look at events like the Rolex 24 and other events around the world, we have Corvette Corrals, where Corvette owners can bring their cars, watch the race, and have the drivers and team members come and speak to them. It’s a really up close and personal experience where we can engage with those road car owners.”
We spoke with Dane shortly after the Rolex 24. “The passion there was phenomenal,” she said. “Hundreds of Corvette owners came to watch that race and cheer on Corvette Racing, and they wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for that crucial connection between Chevrolet’s race cars and road cars.”
Corvette Racing customer teams are now headed to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15, where they’ll look to give the Corvette its third straight win of the year after the GT3.R’s class victories at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January and the Qatar 1812km in February.
For General Motors, racing isn’t just about competing with other automakers around the world. It’s about developing and refining the technologies that power our production vehicles – and the Corvette Z06 is a prime example.
